Periodontal Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery

Many patients are unhappy with the way their gums look. Gums that appear to cover the teeth, have receded to reveal tooth root, or have poor contours can affect both oral health and self-esteem.

Multiple surgical options are available to treat these issues. Your periodontist can discuss each of these with you and determine which option will best meet your needs.

Esthetic Crown Lengthening (Gum Lifting)

This procedure offers solutions to patients who feel that their teeth are too short or who have an uneven gum line. These conditions are often referred to as a “gummy smile.” Even though your teeth appear short, they are most likely an appropriate length; it’s just hard to tell because they are covered by excess gum tissue. We can reshape the gum line around a single tooth or your full gum line so that you can smile with confidence.

Crown lengthening can also be used in cases where a tooth has decayed or broken near the gum line. By exposing more tooth structure, we can more easily shape the tooth to place a restoration like a crown. This allows you to restore and preserve a tooth instead of having to remove and replace it.

Root Coverage

One of the major symptoms of periodontal disease is gum recession. This means that your gum line has moved away from its healthy location and is exposing more tooth surface, in particular, the sensitive roots.

When this happens, you are likely to experience tooth sensitivity and tenderness in the gum tissue. In addition to these uncomfortable symptoms, these defects also allow for plaque and tartar to more easily build up and put you at a higher risk for further deterioration and recession.

The periodontists at South Shore Long Island Periodontology & Implantology will evaluate the issue carefully and inform you if a root coverage procedure is indicated. If so, we can use tissue from your own palate or tissue from a donor source to cover these areas.

Gingivectomy

Gingivectomy is a therapy performed to re-contour or reform excessive or diseased gum tissue. By removing and reshaping the damaged or excess tissue, we can get rid of the pockets that form in moderate to advanced periodontal disease. By reducing the size of these pockets, we can slow the progress of periodontal disease and avoid further damage. Before performing a gingivectomy, a scaling and root planing treatment is usually recommended to remove any bacteria and tartar clinging to the roots of your teeth below the gum line.

While this procedure was originally developed to treat periodontal disease, it can also be used to improve the appearance of a “gummy smile” with overgrown gum tissue.

Depending on your specific needs, a gingivectomy can improve both the health and appearance of your smile.